From Daily Excelsior:
Describing the agreement reached to solve the Amarnath issue as a “welcome relief”, Rajya Sabha MP Karan Singh today asked the Centre and the state governments to take measures to try and make up the massive losses incurred by Jammu and Kashmir during the agitation.
In a statement here, he asked all stakeholders in the Jammu as well as Kashmir regions to accept the agreement in “good grace”.
“Apart from the reconstitution of the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board, what is urgently needed are measures by the Centre, the state Government and civil society to try and make up the massive losses that have been incurred both in Jammu and Kashmir by disruption of normal trade, commerce, tourism and daily life,” he in a statement here.
Singh also asked the Government to take special measures to help students overcome the backlog so that they do not lose an academic year.
For this purpose, coaching classes will be required at the school and college levels. “I also hope that compensation to the next of kin of those who died in the course of this prolonged agitation, both in Jammu and Kashmir, is paid expeditiously,” he added.
The five point formula:
1. Governor Vohra should be considered for some other state where his administrative experience and skills can be better utilised
2. General J J Singh be appointed as Governor of J and K
3. The Amarnath Shrine Board can be reconstituted under a new chairman with members from the Hindu community in J and K including Kashmiri Pandits
4. For chairman he suggested the name of Chief Justice (Retd) A.S Anand who also belongs to the Jammu & Kashmir State.
5. While the land should continue to remain with the Forest Department, he said that the State Government should work out and announce a time bound programme for construction of adequate facilities for pilgrims including shelters, cooking, sanitary and other arrangements.
The news:
In the hospital where my dad works there was a protest where people protested in the way the land allocation was revoked and talked about inability understand why the government would do so. Included in the rally were the members of staff who happened to be Muslims from Jammu.
The picture:
From Hindu:
“RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Mahasabha leaders form the core of the Sangharsh Samiti (spearheading the agitation in Jammu against revocation of land to Amarnath shrine Board) and are backing the agitation. They have the support of BJP,” party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters here.
This sounds too convenient. So I tried to find out, who is “spearheading” this agitation. Thanks fully after 30 days or so into the protests, some newspaper did actually try to find the answer than choose the convenient answer.
Do read The signs by four in IE.
1. Leela Karan Sharma: Affiliation – “Financial Guru”. Responsible to setting up Citizens Cooperative Bank, Jammu
2. B S Salathia: Affiliation – “Secular”. President Jammu Bar Association. Additional Advocate General in Congress government led by Gulam Nabi Azad and a Congress sympathizer
3. Dinesh Bharati: Affiliation – “Communal”. Mahant of Dharmal’s Radha Krishna temple
4. Ashok Gupta: Affiliation – “Communal”. President J&K Shiv Sena
Supported cast:
1. Raman Bhalla: Affiliation – “Secular”. Minister in Congress government led by Gulam Nabi Azad and Congress MLA.
2. Yogesh Sawhney: Affiliation – “Secular”. Minister in Congress government led by Gulam Nabi Azad and Congress MLA.
3. Sham Lal Sharma: Affiliation – “Secular”. Congress MLA.
4. Bar Association of Jammu (BAJ): Affiliation – “Do lawyers have any?”. BAJ has set up a free legal aid cell for those injured during the agitation. So far, the cell has facilitated release of over 200 people arrested by police during curfew and demonstration.
5. Non-emergency medical staff that takes casual day off to join the protest.
So I am wondering why would Congress spokesman Manish Tewari call this a BJP agitation?
Read this article:
Jammu’s Hindu uprising
When national mainstream does not rise up to address the problems and issues, the ones on the fringes take over! This is, in fact, the only article that I have read that is telling the whole story. Wish someone in Times of India or NDTV or CNN-IBN had done there job. We could have been spared sone of the “un-parliamentary language”.
The first mention I saw on the Jammu agitation in Times of India was a report where L K Advani met PM Manmohan Singh and asked the land be transferred to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. The response was typical: “BJP’s demand will not be met as that will make things complicated.”
I wish PM’s “there is no problem but only problem-makers” attitude had not prevailed and the opportunity to handle this issue as an mere administrative issue was not lost.
It has been 33 days :-(
Usual comments like “A few communal parties in Jammu are responsible for the state of affairs“, “Double standard of secular parties unfortunate“, “There is no problem in Kashmir, Ladakh, Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtiwar and other districts” are best way to respond. They are politically correct, vague enough and non-committal so will never get misquoted.
A surprising news coverage that does have some real stuff to report than just he-said-they said: Amarnath row: More a matter of politics than religion and try to understand a ‘problem’ than name ‘problem-makers’. A rarity in Indian media when handling a complicated matter.
From Hindustan Times: On Saturday, three former MLAs, two of them ex-ministers, came out openly in support of the agitation in Jammu. Former ministers Raman Bhalla and Yogesh Sawhney, along with MLA Sham Lal Sharma, pledged their support to the agitation and said … “Though the party is dear to us, the cause of the people of Jammu is our cause, too.”
These MLAs belong to Congress.
Do you have an opinion on the row? In that case, do you know what the ’cause’ could be? Has news been helpful in understanding why people are protesting?
In the speech called stirring and impressive, he remarks on protest in Srinagar against the transfer of land:
“हमारी जमीन का मुद्दा था, हम अपनी जमीन के लिए लड़े और मरते दम तक अपनी जमीन के लिए लड़ेंगे, लेकिन हम आपकी तरह फिरकापरस्त नहीं हैं।…”
“It was an issue of our land. We fought for our land. And we will fight for our land till we die. But we are not communal like you…”
The row is about transfer of forest land (managed by Forest Department, J&K Govt) to make rest houses for pilgrims (managed by Shrine Board, J&K Govt). The land is still with government of J&K and in use for purpose of Tourism in the state.
So I have been asking myself: Who is this ‘we’ Omar is talking about? Who are these ‘we’ fight for their land with? Why would people of J&K fight till death for transfer of land from one department to another? Is ‘we’ the employees of Forest Department? Do you know who these ‘we’ are?
Some information about the board.
Website: www.shriamarnathjishrine.com
Administration: Managed by Chief Executive Officer, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board who is also the Principal Secretary to Governor of J&K. The official address is that of RAJ BHAVAN which is official residence of Governor of J&K. The governor is part of the government of J&K. The Shrine Board is a Government of J&K body.
From CNN IBN India news report:
The government on Sunday lifted the ban on two Jammu-based TV channels following an agreement with their managements. Authorities had earlier sealed the premises of the two TV channels, Take 1 and JK Channel, saying they were broadcasting “provocative material” that “incited passions of people”.
For past one month what was a simple protest against a government decision has escalated in a mass movement against the method of governance itself. The trouble my family and friends are going through is in no way the ‘tense’ that media is portraying. The situation is really bad and the word is not getting out.
Do you wonder what the agreement mentioned above could be?
Image from naknews.co.in
